A directory service typically manages data about a network and its resources (e.g., users, files, printers, servers, and applications). It may authenticate resources and/or manage identities and relationships between the resources. A directory service typically uses associated directory service objects to perform its functions. For example, the directory service data may include for each of one or more users a network user account data object that includes a user name, an email address, a physical location address, a phone number, authentication information, and other information associated with the user. In some cases, a directory services system administrator may write a script or other program to modify one or more attributes across directory service objects. For example, when a company moves to a new location, a “postalAddress” or equivalent attribute of every directory service object associated with users needs to be updated. Occasionally the system administrator may mistakenly overwrite an attribute with incorrect data, or overwrite the wrong attribute, due to an error in the script. To recover the overwritten attribute without performing an entire directory service system restoration, directory service utilities can be used to restore an attribute for one directory service object at one time. Although the process can be batched, the attribute has to be tediously selected on an individual basis for each object that needs to be recovered. Therefore there exists a need for a more efficient way to restore an attribute for a group of directory service objects.